Dar swimmers fly to Maputo

By Joseph Mchekadona

24th April 2012

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TSA technical director Marcelino Ngalioma

Swimming team comprising 14 members boarded a flight to Maputo last Sunday where they are expected to compete in the week-long Confederation of African Swimmers (CANA) zone three and four championship starting tomorrow.

Before the team departed Tanzania Swimming Association (TSA) technical director Marcelino Ngalioma said the squad is well prepared for the championship.

He said though the national team faced a lot of challenges during their two-week preparation period, he expected it to perform well.

“We had two weeks camping stint and noticed tremendous improvements enough to give us confidence of the team to perform well at the games and return home with medals”, he said.

Ngalioma said most of the swimmers making the trip are the ones whom the TSA is grooming for the 2016 Brazil Olympics Games, Commonwealth and All African Games.

The Mozambique CANA games will help the players to gauge their strength at international stage.

Last year Tanzania failed to compete at the CANA event which was held in Botswana due to lack of money. The team is expected back of Saturday.

However, the team has traveled to Mozambique without the knowledge of National Sports Council (NSC). The council’s officer Mohamed Kiganja in an interview yesterday declined to have any knowledge of the team’s departure to Mozambique.

He said NSC was not informed on the trip, declined to say what action the council will take against the swimmers’ body but hinted that the council would talk to TSA officials once the team returns on Saturday.

“We don’t know if the country is participating at the CANA games in Mozambique, we were not even informed, but if it is true that the team has left”, he said.

Before the team’s departure Ngalioma said they have written NSC for the permission to participate at the games.

However, he confirmed that the team is traveling without being handed over the national flag; he said the important thing is that they have informed the council.